I will take the children of Israel from among the nations
to which they have come,
and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.
I will make them one nation upon the land,
in the mountains of Israel,
and there shall be one prince for them all.
Never again shall they be two nations,
and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.
to which they have come,
and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.
I will make them one nation upon the land,
in the mountains of Israel,
and there shall be one prince for them all.
Never again shall they be two nations,
and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.
Like the Jewish people, Christians are divided into "two kingdoms." Just as Jews at the time of Ezekiel thought of the separated nations of Israel and Judah -- though both had disappeared by Ezekiel's day -- there are Catholics and Protestants, Eastern orthodox and Roman Catholic, charismatic and uninspired, spiritual and religious, saved and unsaved, right and wrong, and etc. You can take your choice of binaries.
The divisions are very real and we have to respect them; some carry memories of bloodshed and martyrdom. People who prefer their own style of religion often ignore the boundaries -- e.g. taking communion as if they have a right to -- but their insolence only causes barriers to be raised. Because the divisions are historical they challenge our willingness and courage to acknowledge and deal with the fact of otherness.
I have been listening to a Great Courses set of lectures about Plato's Republic. It's fascinating that Plato's "Socrates," unable to determine what justice is, or what a just man might be, decides to explore justice not in terms of the individual person but within the context of a city. What is a just city? What systems would it create to maintain justice, and how how would just citizens defend their systems against avarice and greed?
Given Socrates' strategy, we might ask how does the righteous Christian live in a complex world, especially given that the divisions among God's people far exceed the comfortable dimensions of "us and them?" Socrates' interlocutors wanted certainty; they wanted assurance of their own righteousness. "I am a just person!" they would say with confidence. We know the type.
Ezekiel describes a different plan. Rather than describing the righteous people of God, he predicts the reunification that God will effect,
"(I will) gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land. I will make them one nation upon the land.... I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God."
As we enter Holy Week, having completed our preparations by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we are ready to witness the something wonderful. Our reunification as one people will be nothing less than a Mighty Work of God.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.